Big head or wide face
They overlap and they call for different checks.
A wide face is wide across the cheekbones: the frame front has to span it, and the sunglasses for wide faces guide covers that. A big head is about circumference and depth: the distance from the hinge back to the ear, and the pressure the arms put on the sides of the skull along the way. You can have a big head and an average width face, in which case a wide frame alone leaves you with arms that end before your ears. Most people searching for sunglasses for big heads have both, and need a wide front and long temples together. The optical version of the width problem is in the glasses for wide faces guide.
The signs of a frame that is too small for your head
- The arms press on the sides of the head above the ears and leave marks by lunchtime.
- The temple tips end on top of the ears or hook too early, so the frame rides forward.
- A headache after an hour of wear that stops when the glasses come off.
- The arms splay outward from the hinge, seen from above.
- The frame sits high and tilts, because the arms are being held open and cannot drop into place.
- Taking the glasses off is a relief, which it should never be.
Lens size fixes none of this. Temple length, frame front and hinge give fix all of it.
The three figures that matter
Every MUJOSH product page has a Size and fit block with five figures. For a big head, read three of them.
- Temple length. The arm from hinge to tip. This is the one most big sunglasses get wrong; the lenses grow and the arms stay the same. Longer is better, and a pair you own that fits well gives you your target.
- Frame front. Hinge to hinge, the overall width. It needs to clear your temples so the arms start outside your head rather than pressed against it.
- Lens width. Useful only as a tiebreaker. Big lenses on a short arm are still a short arm.
The glasses measurements guide explains all five and how to measure a pair you already own with a ruler.
Why "oversized" is not the answer
Oversized describes the lens. The oversized sunglasses guide makes the point in full: many oversized frames are built on an average width front with average temples, because the fashion is in the lens, and they grip a big head exactly as a small pair would. Some oversized frames are also genuinely wide and long, and those are the ones to find, which is why the size block matters more than the word.
Spring hinges and flexible frames
Two features matter more for a big head than any shape.
- Spring hinges. A hinge that opens past straight and springs back lets the arms sit wider than the frame's resting width without forcing them. On a big head it is the difference between a frame that grips and one that holds. In the MUJOSH range, Species BL carries them.
- Flexible materials. Lightweight TR90 and nylon frames flex at the temples and recover, so they adapt to the head instead of fighting it; acetate is stiffer and holds its set, which is better once adjusted and worse before. Lvy, Ruvy Van and Futuristic are the TR90 frames in the range.
- Metal with adjustable nose pads. Metal arms can be opened at the hinge by an optician, and nose pads let the frame sit level once the arms are set. Retro Aviator and Screwless are the metal options below.
Nine MUJOSH sunglasses for a big head
Chosen from the size block on each page: the widest frame fronts in the range and the longest temples, in that order of priority.
- Species BL, $135: an oversized square round in acetate with spring hinges, among the widest fronts and longest temples in the range, cut for a lower nose bridge. The first pair to try.
- Panini, $135: an acetate rectangle with the longest temples in the whole range and a wide front, polarized. The pair for a deep head.
- Futuristic, $159: the widest frame front in the range, a square in lightweight TR90 that flexes. The pair for a wide head.
- Techon, $89: a cat eye with a wide front and long temples, polarized, the best value of the nine.
- Lvy, $99: an oversized cat eye in TR90 with a wide front and long temples, cut for a lower nose bridge; flexible and light.
- Ruvy Van, $135: a round square in TR90 with a wide front, polarized, cut for a lower nose bridge.
- Numer, $109: a slim rectangle with a wide front and long temples, polarized. The pair for a big head that does not want big lenses.
- Screwless, $99: an oversized square in screwless metal with a wide front, polarized, cut for a lower nose bridge; the metal arms can be opened by an optician.
- Retro Aviator, $119: a gold metal aviator with one of the widest fronts in the range and a classic shape.
Most of the squares are in the square sunglasses collection, the lower bridge cuts in the low bridge fit sunglasses collection, and everything in the sunglasses collection, each with its size block.
Adjusting a pair that is nearly right
A frame that is wide enough but still grips can usually be adjusted: the arms opened a little at the hinge, the temple tips bent to follow the ears rather than hook them, the nose pads spread so the frame drops. The how to adjust glasses arms guide covers what is safe at home, which for acetate means warm water and patience, and what belongs with an optician. A frame whose arms end before your ears cannot be adjusted into fitting; the temple length is the temple length.
Fit for a big head and a low nose bridge
A big head often comes with a wide face, and a wide face often comes with a lower nose bridge, so the frame that is finally long and wide enough may still sit on the cheeks. Many of our frames are cut for a lower nose bridge for that reason, and five of the nine above carry it.
A wide head often comes with a wider nose, and the bridge side of that fit is covered in the sunglasses for a big nose guide.
Wide sunglasses
Wide sunglasses are the same search from the other direction: not a big head but a wide face, or simply a preference for a frame that reaches the temples with room to spare. The test is the one above, the frame reaching the sides of the face without pressing or overhanging, and the shapes that carry width best are the oversized square, the square-round and the full aviator, because a straight top edge keeps a wide frame from reading as a mask. In the MUJOSH range the widest pairs are the oversized acetate squares, Comte Oversized, Lix and Species BL, the oversized metal square Screwless Polarized, and the full-sized Aviator Total; all five are cut for a lower nose bridge or carry adjustable pads, which is what keeps a wide frame level. The frame width is on each product page; the oversized sunglasses guide covers the three big shapes.
The bottom line
Sunglasses for a big head need long temples, a wide frame front and a hinge or material that gives, in that order, and lens size is none of those. Read the size block on the product page rather than the word oversized, look for spring hinges or a flexible TR90 frame, and expect to want a lower nose bridge cut too. In the MUJOSH range, start with Species BL, then Panini for a deep head and Futuristic for a wide one.
A bald head wants the same scale, with a straight top line; the sunglasses for bald men guide covers the rest.
Frequently asked questions
What sunglasses are best for a big head?
Frames with long temples, a wide frame front and either spring hinges or a flexible material. Check the size block on the product page; the word oversized refers to the lens and does not guarantee any of the three.
Are big sunglasses the same as sunglasses for big heads?
No. Big sunglasses have big lenses, often on an average frame with average arms. Sunglasses for a big head need the arms and the frame front to be large, whatever the lenses do.
How do I know if sunglasses are too small for my head?
Pressure or marks above the ears, temple tips that hook too early, a frame that rides forward or sits high, and relief when you take them off. Any two of those means the frame is too small.
Which MUJOSH sunglasses fit a big head?
Species BL, with spring hinges, is the first to try; Panini has the longest temples in the range and Futuristic the widest front. Techon, Lvy, Ruvy Van, Numer, Screwless and Retro Aviator follow.
